What good is it?

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 16 June 2026
1 Kings 21:17-29 <*[[[[>< + ><]]]]*> Matthew 5:43-48

God our loving Father,
grant me the grace to love you more,
to follow you more closely,
to be like you,
"perfect" and "holy";
I feel so sad especially
these days as I continue to grapple
with your mystery,
of your immense love for us all,
even ton our enemies and oppressors.

Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father… So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-45, 48).

What is most difficult
for me, O Lord, is when your
"anger" subsides,
when your mercy prevails
on those who do evil against us
like King Ahab in the first reading;
oh yes, Father,
sorry but it is true,
we enjoy you "castigating"
evil doers like King Ahab;
but, why Oh why,
after he had realized his sins
and be sorry,
you suddenly change your mind?

Then the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite,
"Have you seen that Ahab has humbled himself
before me?
Since he has humbled himself before me,
I will not bring the evil in his time.
I will bring the evil upon his house
during the reign of his son"
(1 Kings 21:28-29).

Forgive me,
Lord Jesus Christ
when sometimes I see
vengeance as a form of justice,
forgetting your lesson yesterday;
but, help me learn
and realize to embrace fully
your words that are so extravagant,
asking far more than anyone
might ever think possible
not only in loving our enemies,
or doing good to our persecutors
but mystery of all mysteries is
when perpetrators of evil seem
to get away with their sins
like King Ahab
by simply being sorry?

But, on deeper prayer
as peace and tranquility
take over my anger,
then I realize your call Jesus
to be perfect like the Father
is also a call for me to be vulnerable
like him in offering kindness
because he is a Father,
not because of any worthiness
of anyone among us
for we are all sinners;
indeed,
we do not deserve anything at all
but because of your love,
you have made us deserving.

May we find your love
and kindness
and mercy in us, Jesus,
instead of look for these
on those who hurt us
for indeed, 
what good is it really
if I can love only
 those who love me
or hate those who hate me?

With you dwelling in my heart,
Jesus,
it's no good at all,
no good at all
for what is truly good
is to love like you:
help me Jesus
to bear witness
to your loving presence
in the world.
Amen.

Like a father, like a mother

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul, 27 August 2025
Wednesday, Memorial of St. Monica, Married Woman
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13     <*[[[[>< + ><]]]]*>     Matthew 23:27-32

Praise and glory to you,
Lord Jesus Christ
for another set of 
beautiful words from
your great Apostle Paul
of being like a "father",
a parent to the Thessalonians
like St. Monica whose feast we
celebrate today in her diligence
and patience to her son
St. Augustine whose feast comes
tomorrow.

As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children, exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into his kingdom and glory (1Thessalonians 2:11-12).

In this time of great
trial and crisis in our country
when we are literally deep
in floods of evil and sin, 
a deluge of apocalyptic proportion
that have submerged all three
branches of government -
the executive, 
legislative 
and judiciary 
that have severely dampened
and loosened the morals
of our society,
teach us Jesus
to be like the mother of 
St. Augustine,
the ever patient and
prayerful St. Monica 
to exhort and encourage
everyone to still walk in a manner
worthy of God who calls us
to be fair and just,
tenacious with our faith
and hope in you and your gospel
 minus the trappings of the
Pharisees and scribes of your time
who were like "whitewashed tombs
who appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men's bones
and every kind of filth"
(Matthew 23:27);
may the prayers of St. Monica
with her tears cleanse us
of everything wrong in our selves.
Amen.

Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Our Lady of Fatima University
Valenzuela City
(lordmychef@gmail.com)

*St. Augustine with his mother St. Monica.*

Facing evil

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday in the Fourth Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 29 January 2024
2 Samuel 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Mark 5:1-20

*An illustration of the healing of the Gerasenes demoniac from Pinterest.*

On this final week of January
as we approach in two weeks the
Season of Lent,
you teach us today,
dear Father with many 
lessons about "facing" evil;
at first, I felt evil is always
"confronted", something we always
fight head on but from the 
two readings today, 
your words tell me O Lord
there are times we just have 
to stand firm against evil without
necessarily fighting it out right away
but not condoning it either.

But the king replied: ”What business is it of mine or of yours, sons of Zeruiah, that he curses? Suppose the Lord has told him to curse David; who then will dare say to, ‘Why are you doing this'” Then the king said to Abishai and to all his servants: ”If my own son, who came forth from loins, is seeking my life, how much more might this Benjaminite to do! Let him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. Perhaps the Lord will look upon my affliction and mae it up to me with benefits for the curses he is uttering this day.”
2 Samuel 16:10-12

Give me, O God, the same
patience of David to accept the
evils happening to me as I am guilty
of so many evils too;
like David, let me be mindful always
of my own evil ways and sins that
definitely will haunt me,
will chase me,
and will charge me later
in recompense for my own
sins too.
There are times, Lord,
that I must accept 
how I deserve some evil to befall me
as a result of my own sinfulness
like David.

If ever the evils that come to me
are undeserved,
keep my cool and patience,
as well as goodwill
like Jesus Christ your Son
and our Lord;
after healing the Gerasenes demoniac,
he was driven out from the town
by the people;
many times,
people do not understand
anything at all when evils
befall us and others;
maintain my peace
within me, Lord,
that I may not react against
my accusers like you
especially when they all get it wrong;
let me tower over everyone else
with firm faith in you,
dignity in silence,
and clear conscience
when people wrongly
 accuse me of deeds
I am not guilty of
for you alone is my
salvation.
Amen.